Wild Life In the Suburbs

One of the under-reported stories of our time is the return of wildlife to civilized places in America. All around the country, you hear similar stories. Where I live, in a fourth-tier suburb of Minneapolis, you can’t drive to the grocery story without seeing hawks, and if you go a few miles, eagles are plentiful. Coyotes and foxes abound in my neighborhood. Possums are now seen from time to time–I found the head of a possum on my deck, deposited there, I suppose, by an owl. There are rumors of mountain lions, but the only confirmed sightings are some miles away.
And now, wild turkeys. For some reason, they’ve invaded us this year. This afternoon I walked out on my deck and, just below, saw a wild turkey walking along. I grabbed my camera and took this photo as he walked into our next door neighbor’s yard. Click to enlarge:
A while later, he was spotted again, this time just behind my deck. I took these photos; again, click to enlarge:
UPDATE: Lawrie Mcfarlane of Victoria, British Columbia writes:

You’ve got a wild turkey in your backyard two weeks before Thanksgiving, and you grab a…camera??? What were you thinking? I live in Victoria, BC, and I’d love to have that happen. I recommend a .410, or even a .22 with bird shot. The neighbours won’t even hear it!